Humayun’s Tomb restored to former glory

The 18-ft ornamental ensemble, consisting of Sandalwood core and 11 copper vessels topped with a brass piece was given a coating of 22-carat gold to match its original crowning splendour, but it took more than a year to restore the World Heritage Site to its pristine glory. 

The celebrated monument which served as an architectural inspiration for Taj Mahal, was hit by a massive storm in May 2014 which had dislodged and damaged its old finial. Archaeological Survey of India then commissioned Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) to begin work on the new finial on December 31, 2014.

“By March last year we had installed a makeshift finial, as we did not want the dome to be left bald. The challenge before us was to restore the finial to its original splendour with original composition,” CEO, AKTC India, Ratish Nanda, told PTI. 

According to ASI archives, the finial was last dismantled and repaired by the British in 1912, who also did a documentation of the object, which helped the team in its reconstruction. Nanda, a conservation architect, says, “A motley team of artists, craftsmen, architects, engineers and scientists worked on this project to return the famed mausoleum to its former glory.” 

“In the finial, the 11 copper vessels, covered with a gold finish, were in a friable state and had been repaired several times over the last five centuries. Each of the vessels was weighed and studied separately to allow comparisons with the original profile and carefully map the damage,” he said. “The biggest challenge was lending the gold finish to the finial as it was in the original. 

And, that is where Titan Industries came into play and they not only funded the restoration but also brought in their expertise in jewellery and watchmaking to execute this project to the finest scale,” he said. The AKTC CEO claimed that this gold restoration was a first of its kind work in India, as far as monuments are concerned and over 3 kg of pure gold was used in the project. 

“And, while scientists and engineers worked out the metrics and modalities of the project, carpenters, coppersmiths and goldsmiths laboured on getting the old craft right as per our requirements. It was a perfect marriage of traditional craftsmanship and industrial precision,” he said.